1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to output method and apparatus for outputting an image based on inputted data for outputting onto an output medium.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 2 shows a constructional concept of such a kind of conventional output apparatus, for example, a printer 1 (shown by reference numeral 1). In the diagram, reference numeral 2 denotes an external apparatus such as a host computer or the like which generates print data to the printer 1; 3 denotes an input unit to receive the print data; 4 denotes an input buffer to temporarily store the inputted data; 5 denotes an analyzer to analyze the inputted data; 6 denotes a page buffer to store the result of the analysis; 7 denotes a developer to develop the data into an output image of a bit map memory or the like on the basis of the content in the page buffer 6; and 8 denotes a frame memory to store the developed output image. The frame memory 8 is constructed by an RAM (random access memory). Reference numeral 9 denotes an output unit for controlling an output mechanism 10 in accordance with the content in the frame memory 8. The output mechanism 10 generates image data by, for example, a laser beam or the like. Reference numeral 11 denotes a recording medium such as a recording paper or the like and 12 indicates a form storage in which form data has been stored in an ROM or an RAM.
In the printer 1 with the above construction, print data supplied from the external apparatus 2 is received by the input unit 3 and the image data is once stored in the input buffer 4 in the RAM. The analyzer 5 analyzes the received data and forms the data into a form adapted to give an instruction to the developer 7 into the page buffer 6 as a result of the analysis. In accordance with the content in the page buffer 6, the developer 7 develops a corresponding output image into the frame memory 8 as, for example, a binary image of one page. The output unit 9 generates the binary image which has been developed in the frame memory 8 to the output mechanism 10 as a video signal to, for example, execute an ON/OFF control of the laser beam. In this instance, the binary image is generated to the output mechanism 10 synchronously with a well-known BD (beam detection) signal. On the basis of the input video signal, the output mechanism 10 forms an image onto the recording medium 11 in accordance with a well-known electrophotographic recording method.
In case of registering a form, the external apparatus instructs the registration of the form by, for example, a command or the like and subsequently generates form data.
The form storage 12 has a structure as shown in FIG. 3. That is, the form storage comprises: a form management table which is constructed by form numbers and pointers indicative of storage destination addresses of the corresponding form data; and areas in which the substances of the form data have been stored.
When the registration of the form is confirmed, the analyzer 5 stores the instructed form data in the area in the form storage 12 in which the substance of the form data has been stored. The storage destination address of the substance is stored in the pointer area of the instructed form number in the form management table. As a pointer in the form management table in which the substance of the form data doesn't exist, NULL data is stored. In addition to that the form data is supplied from the outside, the form data can be also prepared in a ROM or the like. The form data is managed as mentioned above.
When the external apparatus requests to overlap and generate the form data (form overlay print instruction), the instructed form number is first checked and the pointer of the corresponding form data is obtained. In accordance with the form data indicated by the pointer, the developer 7 develops a form image into the frame memory 8. An image such as a character or the like corresponding to the print data sent together with the form instruction data is developed in the frame memory 8 by the developer 7. After the form image and the image corresponding to the print data are developed in the frame memory 8, the processes which have already been described above are executed on the data, so that the multiplexed image comprising the form and the character or the like can be printed (form overlay print) onto the recording medium.
In the above conventional example, however, as a method for knowing which form has been registered or stored, there is only a method whereby the print data including the command which actually designates the form overlay is sent. Therefore, it is impossible to explicitly know in which form number the form has actually been registered.